Paleo Almond Butter and Chocolate Coconut Bites
These delicious Paleo Almond Butter and Chocolate Coconut Bites are the result of a kitchen mishap. I had just finished up a batch of Homemade Almond Butter, and basically thought I was untouchable. You know the feeling- you cross one little thing off your weekend to do list, and suddenly, you are overcome with the feeling that you can accomplish anything. I had everything I needed: a recipe similar to the one below: pinned, the correct ingredients: purchased, and that little voice in your head that says, “go for it”. Step one of the original recipe is to make your own coconut butter- which, shouldn’t be too hard, considering all you have to do is blend shredded coconut in you food processor- exactly like the almond butter I had just finished up. Well, I food processed and food processed, and my coconut never turned buttery. It only took a few minutes to turn it into a wet sand like consistency.. but no matter how long I blended, the consistency didn’t change. Ce’ la vie- so with my wet sand coconut mixture, I created Almond Butter and Chocolate Bites.
Did you know that almost all chocolate is chocked full of unnecessary additives and ingredients? I recommend using these chocolate gems, as they are
- ALWAYS Free-From: gluten, wheat, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, egg, soy, fish, shellfish
- Products made without casein, potato, sesame and sulfites
- America’s #1 Allergy-Friendly Baking Chocolate!, Verified Non-GMO, Certified Gluten-Free, Paleo!
I like to stock up and order in bulk from Amazon:
Enjoy Life Mega Chocolate Chip Chunks, Gluten, Dairy, Nut & Soy Free, 10-Ounce (Pack of 6)
EQUIPMENT
I didn’t use baking cups, and I was able to pry mine out reasonably well. However, these baking cups are so darn sweet, I will definitely have to use them next time!
INGREDIENTS
Coconut Base:
- 8oz organic unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 Tbsp Raw Honey
Chocolate Almond Butter Topping:
- 1/2 cup homemade creamy almond butter
- 6 oz Enjoy Life Mega Chocolate Chip Chunks
- 2 Tbsp Raw Honey
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract – Be sure you are using pure vanilla extract, and not vanilla flavoring
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla Salt
- Toasted Coconut
Fun fact: The reason we add salt to sweets, is that the salt cancels out bitterness (in this case, of the chocolate), making it taste even sweeter. The added touch of vanilla in this salt is the perfect compliment to these bites, you really need to try it for yourself:
Which can be purchased here: Jacobsen Salt Co. Vanilla Bean Flake Sea Salt, 1.5 Oz.
INSTRUCTIONS
- For the coconut bottom: in a food processor, add the shredded coconut and process until it is the consistency of wet sand. If you are like me, this should be very easy. If you can accomplish what I could not, and you make real coconut butter, don’t worry, these will still turn out perfectly! Just add a bit of shredded coconut back in if you need to thicken it up. You may need to stop occasionally to wipe down sides of bowl with spatula, about 5 minutes. Once the coconut becomes a wet sand consistency, add melted coconut oil, honey and vanilla extract and process once again until all are combined.
- Melt the chocolate chunks in a microwave safe bowl- two round of 30 seconds (stopping in between to stir) should do it.
- In a medium bowl, combine almond butter, melted baking chocolate, salt, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
- Scoop a spoonful of the coconut butter mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup. With your fingers, press the mixture down so it becomes like a crust. Repeat until all 24 cups are filled.
- Pour a tablespoon of the chocolate / almond butter concoction on top, trying to disperse the chocolate mixture evenly. Repeat until all cups have been topped. I did my ratio about half and half: half coconut mixture, half chocolate mixture.
- Once complete, give the muffin tray a gentle shake to settle the chocolate topping.
- Garnish with vanilla salt and toasted coconut.
- Place muffin tray in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to set. Remove from freezer and take cups out of muffin tray and place in an airtight container. Store in the freezer if not serving immediately.
Since, there aren’t any stabilizers in the chocolate, it’s best to store them in the freezer. Enjoy them right after taking out of the freezer to avoid a melty mess!
I’m actually really happy with how this treat turned out, and will be making this delicious version of Almond Butter and Chocolate Coconut Bites from now on. If you are curious, the recipe I was trying to make can be found here.
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